Safety-gate for elevators.



F. U. ROJAHN.

$AFETY GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JA1L21, 1914 Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS- THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. F'HOTC'LITHQ, V/ASHINGTON, D C.

P. O. ROJAHN.

SAFETY GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.21, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

SHEET 2 3 SHEETS- Law THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. FHOTO-LITHO.v WASHINGTON,Dv C4 F. G. ROJAHN. SAFETY GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.21,1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

with lo-0% THE NORRIS PETERS CD.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D, C,

FREDERICK C. BOJ'AHN, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed January 21, 1914. Serial No. 813,513.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. RoJAHN, asubject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Altoona, in the county ofBlair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Safety-Gates for Elevators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the general subject of elevators, and hasparticular reference to a novel door actuating means of special utilityin connection with elevator cars of both the freight and passenger type.

One of the objects of the present device is to provide positive meanswhereby the gate cannot be raised except at the landing, and must beclosed before the elevator leaves the floor landing.

Another object of the device is to put the control of the gates in thehands of the op erator, who with the use of but one lever can open orclose them at the landing, at the time the elevator car approaches.

With these and many other objects in view which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully illustrated, described, and claimed.

It will be readily understood that the essential features of thisinvention are necessarily susceptible to a wide range of structuralmodification without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention, but a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevationof an elevator shaft showing one form of gate controlling mechanism.Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3embodies side and end views of a form of speed multiplying mechanismused in connection with the invention. Fig. 4 shows a portion of theelevator car in side elevation with the gate operating mechanisminstalled thereon. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the parts shown inFig. 4. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 4 and5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an elevator car showing another form ofthe invention. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the construction shown inFig. 7. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the shock absorber used in connectionwith the elevator gate. Fig. 10 shows a form of shock absorber used inconnection with the elevator gate closing device.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out this invention no material change is necessary either inthe ordinary form of elevator car or the elevator gate and to this endthe invention contemplates in connection with a car body designated inits entirety by the numeral 10, a suitable door actuating mechanism.

The car floor or platform 11 is preferably provided near its front sideedge with a depending supporting bracket member 12 having thedown-turned latch supporting ears 13. Within the said cars 13 isslidably mounted a latch member 14 which consists of a latch tongue 15which is beveled at one end and provided at its other end with a collar16, and also a shank portion which is threaded at the extremity oppositethe latch tongue, and provided with a nut 17 thus rendering the entirelatch member adjustable in the ears 13. For the purpose of keeping thelatch tongue 15 projecting outwardly, the shank portion of the latchmember is surrounded by a coil spring 18 which abuts against the collar16 and one side of one of the depending ears 13 of the bracket 12.

At a point substantially in the center of the same side of the carplatform 11 from which the bracket 12 is suspended, there is provided alatch supporting plate 19 which carries a latch member 20 whoseconstruction is similar to that of the latch member 14. In connectionwith the latch member 20,

it will be observed that the same is arranged in a different plane fromthat of the said latch member 14. That is to say, that the two latchmembers are arranged at different levels, the purpose of which willhereinafter more fully appear.

Between the latch supporting bracket member 12 and the latch supportingplate 19, there is secured to the underside of the car platform 11 adepending fulcrum bracket 21. The said fulcrum bracket 21 has fulcrumedthereto an operating lever 22 which has pivotally connected at its upperend a latch actuating bar 23 whose end is beveled as at 24: and adaptedto slidably engage behind the collar 16 of the latch member 20. Thelower portion of the operating lever 22 has pivotally connected theretoa second latch operating bar 25 which is beveled as at 26 and adapted toslidably engage with the collar 16 of the latch member 14. In order toimpart a swinging movement to the operating lever 22, there is providedan operators lever 27 which is suitably journaled to the underside ofthe car and pivotally connected with the operating lever 22 by means ofa suitable link 28.

For the purpose of actuating the elevator gates G which are verticallyslidable in the elevator shaft S, and arranged at each floor landing,there is also provided at each floor landing a gate lifting lever 29which is pivoted as at 30 approximately mid-way between its ends to asupporting bracket 31 depending from one of the shaft beams B which ison a level with the floor landing. The ends of the said gate liftinglever 29 are suitably rounded as at 32, and one end 33 thereof isprovided with a flexible connection 34: to the gate lifting mechanism.

Since the arrangement for lifting the gates shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ofthe draw ings is sometimes inadequate, due to the limited movement ofthe lifting bar, the multiplier designated in its entirety by thenumeral 35 is provided. This particular design of multiplier is adaptedto be inserted between the pulleys 36 and 37, with the rope 38 securedto the end 33 of the lifting bar, and the rope 39 to the elevator gateG.

Figs. 7 and '8 show modified means for raising and lowering the gate Gand instead of the multiplier 35, the gate G is provided with apantog-raph operating device designated by the numeral 40. Thismodification also provides for a gate shock absorber ll shown in Fig. 9,while Fig. 10 shows an air shock absorber designated by the numeral 42.The shock absorber 42 consists essentially of an inverted tube i3 whichis secured to the beam 44:. This tube 43 receives the plunger -15 whichis provided with :a slot 46 through which the lever l7 passes. Since thelever 47 is fulcrumed at48, a downward movement of the gate G will forcethe plunger 15 into the tube 4:3 compressing ,the air therein, thusforming a pneumatic cushion which checks the fall of the gate G.

The operation of this improved device may be summed up as follows:Assume that the elevator car 0 is traveling in the elevator shaft S, ifthe operator wishes to pass any landing with the gate at that landingleft closed, the operators lever 27 is pushed backward. This action onthe part of the operator withdraws both latches 15 and 20 and preventstheir engagement with the lifting lever 29 which must be engaged inorder to open the gate G. Should the elevator be descending and theoperator wish to open the gate, the operators lever 27 is moved forwardand the latch 15 will engage the lifting lever 29 at a point P drawingthe same clown, thereby opening the gate as heretofore explained. Shouldthe elevator be ascending in the shaft and thelever thrown forward thelatch 20 engages the other end P of the lifting lever 29 with the sameresult as above.

Without further description and elaboration it is believed that the manyadvantages of the herein described elevator gate operating device willbe readily apparent.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described including in combination with anelevator shaft and a car operable therein, gates slid able in the shaftand arranged at floor landings, a gate lifting lever fulcrumed at eachfloor landing and operably connected with its respective gate, bracketsrespectively arranged at and below the floor of the car, adjustablymounted and reversely arranged spring latches mounted in said brackets,and manually controlled lever means including a latch retracting bar foreach latch for withdrawing said latches out of the path of said liftinglevers or releasing them for engagement with either end of said leversaccording to the ascent or descent of the car.

2. A device of the character described including in combination with anelevator shaft and a car operable therein, gates slidably arranged inthe shaft at floor landings, a gate lifting lever operatively connectedto each gate, reversely arranged retractable latches disposed atdifferent levels for engaging either end of a selected lifting lever toraisea particular gate, latch retracting means including horizontallymovable retracting bars and an operating lever pivotally connected atits ends with saidbars, and a single manually controlled lever having alink connection with the operating lever of the latch retracting means.-

:3. A device of the character described including in combination with anelevator shaft and an elevator car operable therein,

gates vertically slidable in said shaft and arranged at floor landings,a gate. lifting lever fulcrumed to the shaft at each floor landing andhaving a flexible connection with said gate, a bracket secured to theunderside of the car floor and projecting below the same, a springpressed latch mount- .ed in said bracket, and. a second bracket set inthe floor of the car, a spring pressed latch of the latches with one endof the gate liftmounted in said latter bracket, latch opering lever. 10ating bars for retracting the latches, an In testimony whereof I afiixmy signaoperating lever pivotally connected at its ture in presence oftwo Witnesses.

ends With the latch operating bars and also FREDERICK G. ROJAHN.fulcrumed to the car, and a manually con- Witnesses:

trolled lever for actuating the said oper- ROY B. MoDERMrr'r,

ating lever to cause the engagement of one FRANK M. KIBLER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

walhlnzton, D. O.

